21st century learning, and sharing my life as an educational leader – Marta D. Legan

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By helping Success Academy continue its expansion, the gift, from the hedge fund manager John Paulson and his wife, Jenny, could add pressure on the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio to find space for the new schools or to pay toward their rent.

Ms. Moskowitz has plans to grow to 70 schools within five or six years, and last year, she said she would like to have 100 schools within 10 years.The hedge fund manager John Paulson, who with his wife, Jenny, gave the money.

But Success Academy’s growth has posed a problem for the de Blasio administration. Under a law passed last year in Albany, the city will have to either find space for the new schools in public school buildings or pay a portion of their rent.

In reading this article, I caution that we need to know the facts regarding the data. Public schools do not have the option of sending away students who don’t perform, or have behavior issues, or create overcrowding. Public schools honor free and public education for everyone. The April 6, 2015 New York Times article uncovers some of the punitive measures the Success schools use in order to keep scores up. Teachers are overworked, fear tactics are in place for underperformers, and students who didn’t make the grade suffer. I believe for charter schools to work, an accountability system has to be in place that’s honest about statistics. The Success Academy scores are high, but at what price?